During the week both Michael Clarke and John Inverarity warned Shane Watson his place in the Test side was no certainty now he has decided not to bowl.
For mine, they were two foolish comments that should have been made behind closed doors.
Yesterday at Manuka Oval in the third ODI against the Windies, Watson proved how foolish the captain and chairman of selectors were by cruising to a chanceless century off 102 deliveries.
He ended up with 122 off 111.
The innings was so magnificently dominant, Watson should not only be the third player picked behind Clarke and Mitchell Starc for the four Tests against India, but he must open the batting as well.
While the David Warner-Ed Cowan opening batting experiment hasn’t been a failure, it hasn’t been as flash as one would like either.
They have batted 22 times together, for just three big scores:
* The 214 opening stand against India at the WACA where Warner smoked 180, Cowan 74, and Australia won by an innings and 37.
* The 132 against Sri Lanka at Bellerive – Warner 68, Cowan 56 – for Australia to win by 137.
* And 95 against Sri Lanka at the MCG – Warner 62, Cowan 36 – Australia won by an innings and 201.
Three out of 22 starts demands a change, and Shane Watson is the answer.
His two Test tons and 19 half-centuries also demand a far better conversion rate.
So far Watson has scored four 90s, three 80s, one 70, two 60s, and nine 50s.
Promoting Watson up the order means Cowan would be the casualty, and in many ways that’s a shame. He’s a gutsy honest tough competitor, but Watson is the better proposition.
His best scores have been as an opener, and it would be the biggest folly of the year to ignore that fact.
India, even in India, would be afraid of the Watson-Warner opening batting combination – and with good reason.
If both teed off in the same innings, all hell would break loose. And with the Indian attack fragile under pressure at the best of times, that would make life a lot easier for skipper Clarke.
So forget Watson won’t be able to bowl. Cowan doesn’t bowl anyway so there’s no change in the team balance.
But the prospect of boom starts from the two ‘W’s could actually decide ownership of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
John
Guest
Cowan is so far up Mickey and the headmasters' backsides there is no way they will leave him out, and most certainly if it's a 50/50 choice between him or Usman. The NSP has already shown their hand by the absolute shafting and mismanagement of Khawaja's fluctuating Aust career over the past 2 years! There is just no way Inverarity can name a team without his 'golden (dark haired, stunning academically brilliant, brings so much to the team - apart from actual runs) boy' as opener, it's quite sickening how many chances Cowan has been afforded compared to so many others! Let's see how good Ed is against the spiritless Indians we faced last summer, when playing in their own conditions..it will be a real test for this opener.
Rob Barrow
Guest
Varun I agree with you 100% mate.
Rob Barrow
Guest
After another solid knock in SCG yesteray Watson has proven that he should be the opener in both ODIs and test cricket. Lets get him to open in India as he is better then Cowan. This would be my lineup in India - Watto, Warner, Hughes, Khawaja, Clarke, Wade, Moses
Baggy_green
Guest
Get rid of the All rounder man.....I think this All-rounder "love" has come about from the fact that we have had to bowl without a frontline bowler on the 5th day for 2 tests out of 6 this summer....plus watto is not bowling now.. To me if the bowlers can keep fit , below looks the best bet : Warner Watto Cowan Hughes Clarke Khawaja Wade Siddle Lyon Bird\MJ\Pattinson\Starc Bird\MJ\Pattinson\Starc So basically what about the good old 6-1-4 formula !!!
timma
Guest
I pray to the cricketing Almighty that we get to see Watson and Warner open on the sub continent. It would be epic!
Simba
Guest
I don't rate Maxwell as a test player (yet) The Bush. I was just making the point that Ferguson is even less qualified than him.
Simba
Guest
Fair point DCO. Starc has only ripped through the top order at ODI level. He did rip through he lower order against Sri Lanka though and given that he has has only played 7 tests and I think he may be just finding his form and confidence. When he is on song, he is a bigger handful than Siddle. During the Geelong Football Club's glory years, the change room mantra was 'be difficult to play against'. I don't feel that Siddle is as difficult to play against as Bird, Pattinson or Starc.
DCO
Guest
Simba, where is the evidence to support Starc ripping through more top orders than Siddle? In test cricket not ODI. And how has Starc gone on flat decks?
Rob from Brumby Country
Guest
It's actually 45 innings as an opener, David. But I agree with your summation, broadly speaking. His performances as an opener were much better than as a middle order batsman. But still - we have to find a correlation here. Was he performing better as an opener *because* he was opening? Or was there some other reason? While I am very keen on stats, I think it's important to remember that they don't give you the whole story. It doesn't really make sense that an all-rounder would find it easier to open the batting than to come in later. If Watson is an exception, we need to find out why. I mean, it might well be that his best batting is behind him.
Jake
Guest
He was born in '79, Varun.
Rob Barrow
Guest
I like option 1 with Watto opening with Warner and Khawaja at 4, the key part of this would be who is batting at 6, i believe we need 6 specialist batsman to win the India series and Ashes.
Jake
Guest
Couldn't help yourself dropping in Khawaja, Varun?!? Try to keep your comments to the article
Disco
Roar Guru
Educated, not perceived as a gormless yes-man.
Disco
Roar Guru
Truly abysmal runners. Watson's effort in the last Ashes series (Sydney, 2nd inns) was a complete farce. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2gFiJQh_Bs
Disco
Roar Guru
Siddle is limited but durable. Unlike, say, Johnson, he's also a reliable upper tailender.
Steele
Guest
Thanks for pointing out the bleeding obvious David, like anyone believes Cowens a better player. Chris Rogers should open too if you want to get into the nitty gritty of it and should probably be paired with Hughes for that matter. Easily the two of he most productive openers in first class cricket for some time now. As for starc being your second player picked, you've gotten seduced by the one dayers I believe. Yes he's a talent but there's a few other talented bowlers around too with better averages than he has in the longer form. Just watch him go for runs in India when the wicket doesn't resemble the Waca.
Craig2
Guest
Yes Bailey batted well and he has done very well this summer and deserves to be a contender for number 6 in the test team but to do down Watson when he batted superbly - others had a chance that day and no one came near his command of the crease. Watson didn't get a chance to be compared to Bailey in the Perth games so it is a pointless comparison.
Richard
Guest
Bailey innings in the last game was far better than Watson's in this game. Batting on a road doesn't prove anything for the challenges to come. Clarke is right to question Watson, it brings out the best in him! I think he destabilizes the team, give him another run but threaten him with expulsion if he fails..
Varun
Guest
Very good analysis and further proof that watto should open with Warner with Hughes and khawaja to follow, surely it's time for cowan To go
Varun
Guest
I am sure vogues is in his late 29s, surely he is not 33